Skull the Shinigami
by Idees
Summary: AU; Long before Skull joined the Arcobaleno, a while before he ended up a part of the Carcassa, Skull was a Shinigami.


**Skull the Shinigami**

Prologue

* * *

'_**Death is just the beginning'**_

Skull, long before he became an Arcobaleno, way long before he joined the mafia, was a typical Shinigami. And like any other Shinigami out there, Skull was as bored and dead as the others, there's little to do in the Realm of Death. Most Shinigami had spent their entire lives just gambling away and writing the occasional name down in the Death Note. Skull was one of those Shinigami. Until, that is, he discovered that each and every pool of water in the Shinigami Realm showed a different world, and being curious, Skull watched.

And when Skull watched, he grew curious and he started to wonder, what it would like to be alive and live life like the mortal creatures. Thus, Skull fully became immersed in this world, he witnessed to the rise of several civilizations and the fall of some, before life started to settle. It was during one of those days, which day, no one was sure, but that day, a fellow Shinigami, Grimoire or Grim, joined him.

At first, it was silent, not a sound from his fellow Shinigami. Then, "Skull…" Grim's voice was soft and raspy, like stone grinding against stone while being washed away by water, and her voice was accompanied by a light echo. "I've heard that you've been watching the human realms constantly for weeks now…" Skull glanced briefly at Grim, another Shinigami that rarely interacts with others and seemed to prefer the company of Skull more than anything.

Grim had a typical feminine humanoid appearance, looking like a very tall human female. Her skin was white, like paper, and looked solid, like a bone covering. Her hair was long and mangy, but not matted, but was dark as ink. And unlike most Shinigami, Grim's eyes did not bug out of their sockets, but sat neatly in their sockets, like a humans. The red Shinigami eyes were present though, but looked very dull in place, as around her eyes was a charcoal, blackened eye sockets. Grim's attire consisted of a pair of cargo shorts and a tank top, all covered by a black, frayed cloak. Grim looked oddly human, but not human at the same time.  
Grim was also one of the most talked about Shinigami in the realm of death, and the most easily forgotten, so no one really bothered her. When Grim appeared, as she was oftenly found missing in the realm of Death, Shinigami would have a tendency to stop their gambling for a moment to watch her, then they would gossip like school girls over her. None of the Shinigami really knew where she went though, even with all the trying they did. There were several speculations that Grim went to some of the human worlds, but none of them knew if it was true or not and none could prove it.

"Yes…" But then again, the reason why Grim was always sticking to Skull was an odd concept to a Shinigami itself. Both Skull and Grim looked very similar in build and appearance, and had the same tone of voice, in fact they were eerily identical. "… Interesting… Would you like to try something out, brother mine?" And the reason why Grim was always sticking to Skull, was revealed. Although, no one really cared. "What crazy ideas have you now?" Skull muttered, while Grim smiled at Skull with sharp teeth. "Something fun… Would you follow me, brother mine?" Grim said, as she walked away from the puddles of water. Sighing, Skull casted a longing look at the puddles of water, before he followed Grim, to who knows what mischief she would cause.

It was a few seconds of walking and following twists and turns, where Skull found himself stopping behind Grim. "Here…Look at this…" Grim said, as she gestured in front of her, glancing from her back, Skull look at what was in front of him. Skeletal ribs from some big animal, formed a sort of doorway and attached to it, like a door, was water and the best part was it was standing upright. " … What is it?" Skull asked, as he walked slowly towards it.

The water would ripple every so often, like it had its own heartbeat that resounded within. Looking carefully, Skull noticed that the puddle showed another human world. "This is the Alternate Doorway… The Alternative doorway to the human world… Very interesting…" Grim replied, before continuing on. "See, this door way is connected to various worlds and can easily be changed to another… You have observed the humans enough, to know what a TV is, yes?" Skull nodded. "Well, it works like that. A world for every channel…Very Useful…Very Interesting…" Grim seemed to pause. "But one world caught my interest…" Grim quickly placed herself next to Skull. "This world before us…Well, when I entered it…my best explanation would be I turned human, yet not human. It was surreal and very frightening…You should try it…Brother mine…"

Skull stared dubiously at her, not because she suggested he try it, but because Grim felt frightened. For a Shinigami to feel frightened, it was nigh impossible. Shrugging, Skull stared at the doorway, glancing curiously at all the small details before glancing at the water. The puddle of water rippled again before it stilled. Curious, Skull placed his hand on the water and noticed it had a strange texture. "…Hmmm, ok…" The male Shinigami played with the surface of the water a bit, before he stuck his whole hand through. There was no strange sensation or powerful pull, if Skull was a human on the other hand, it would've felt like all the skin he had on his bones was being peeled off. While Skull was busy playing with the water, Grim watched him. " I'll be joining you at some point…So I suggest you stick close to the place you end up…Brother Mine…" Nodding, Skull walked through the puddle, not even glancing at Grim, who watched him warily.

Skull felt himself float, like he was stuck in mid-flight and it felt like an eternity. And then, it happened. Just when he entered the other world, a strange purple energy latched onto Skull before it fused with his skin, before it disappeared. And then, Skull felt overwhelmed and a strange sensation that made him scream. Then it registered to him, in a sort of blank, distant sort of way, that what he was experiencing was pain. And then blackness.

On the other hand, Skull was not alone in the room. Staring at him, in bewilderment, was a tall, bald man who had some Italian blood in him. Almost every inch of the bald man was covered in tribal tattoos, all in either black or blue. The man was dressed in a simple sweatshirt, black cargo pants and combat boots. On his left wrist, a black digital watch sat, blink out the numbers seven-fifty-five. "What the fuck just happened?" The man cursed, as he glanced at the unconscious teen.

Several rushed, heavy footsteps could be heard heading towards where the scream originated before a group of people burst in the room. Three men and two women, all had signs of being a full Italian or having some Italian blood in them. "Baldovino, what's the meaning of this?" A sharp, feminine voice questioned, as the woman kneeled down next to Skull. "He appeared out of nowhere, Clara." Baldovino said, still shocked by a teen appearing out of nowhere.

Clara was a tall, thin, petite, Italian lady. Her hair was a chocolate brown that was cut into a bob, framing her heart-shaped face perfectly. Her skin had the natural olive skin tones that was found in Italians. " He appeared out of nowhere? You expect me to believe that Baldovino?" Clara accused. The tall Italian lady was someone who easily jumped to conclusions. "Clara, I think what Baldovino means, is that he has no idea where the boy came from." A shy, feminine voice called out hesitantly.

Clara frowned at the other female in the room. "Zita's correct, Clara. Baldovino doesn't bother much with sneaking." A man, tall, with his hair short and neatly cropped, spoke out in a baritone. His face was set in an impassive grimace, while his grey eyes looked dead. The man clearly had some English blood in him. Giordano Bruno was an impressive man and the woman who stood next to him, Zita, was his wife. "Infact, He has a tendency to be loud and rash. Now, if you would be so kind to allow Dr. Abandonato to get a look at the teen." Giordano Bruno replied smoothly.

Dr. Fulvio Abandonato was a peculiar man, his skin was not olive like an Italians, but was actually white with a rosy undertone. Dr. Abandonato has messy, light blonde hair and had an Austrian accent. "…Hmmm…" Dr. Fulvio shuffled towards Skull like a penguin, his round, black glasses almost slipping off his nose. "Caucasian male, from between ages of 15 to 19. Probably of North-eastern European and Italian descent…Hmmm…" Dr. Fulvio checked Skull's pulse, while humming and muttering medical terms under his breath, ignoring the glare Clara was giving him.

"Strange…" Dr. Fulvio muttered under his breath, catching all people in the room's attention. "What is the matter, Dr. Fulvio?" Zita asked hesitantly, brushing a stray, black strand behind her ear. Dr. Fulvio glanced at the Bruno's before he turned back to Skull. "It seems…" The doctor paused, as if looking for the right words. "It seems that the teen here…Well, the skin, the bones and the muscle is as new as a baby's…Which makes no sense at all. It is strange, but I suggest we take him into the infirmary, as he barely has an immune system…" Clara looked at him skeptically, like she couldn't believe what he said, not noticing Baldovino and Giordano had left the room.

"Are busying messing with us, _Fulvio_?" Clara bit out hatefully, saying the doctor's name as it was a curse. Dr. Fulvio just stared at her with no feeling at all, not once bother by the insult. "No, I find that _'messing' _with people to be too much trouble than it's worth." He replied, his voice bored. A few seconds later, Giordano and Baldovino stepped in the room with a cot. Nodding towards Dr. Fulvio, Giordano gestured his wife to help assist the doctor. Zita frowned when she noticed how slack the boy's body was, it was odd and she wondered to herself how this was possible.

* * *

Dr. Fulvio brooded over the results he got on his computer, the white screens reflecting in his glasses. His newest patient was a mystery in itself, nothing of which the likes he had seen before. His DNA structure was very much human, but there was something odd about it that he couldn't pinpoint. Though he expected that, he was, after all, no DNA specialist and neither was anyone else on the Carcassa famiglia base. Zita was a weapon's specialist and scientist, Giordano was an assassin and Baldovino was a driver and a bodyguard.

Frowning, Dr. Fulvio leaned back in his chair and stared at the unconscious teen. The boy, who arrived four days back, still had not woken up, unless if you counted the bouts of screaming he went through. The doctor couldn't understand why the teen screened, as he scanned the boy several times of abnormalities, but couldn't find anything other than the fact the boy's skin was very tender. But what he could factor in was the boy probably had a fast regeneration capability, as evidence about how solid his muscles and bones became. Although Fulvio was curious to how the teen's genetic structure worked, since he ended up with purple hair, and it was natural too. '_A mutation of some sorts?_' Dr. Fulvio thought. 'Maybe_ caused by the Cloud flames his body emits… Though I must say, it's a pretty strong flame, especially from the calculations the computer is spitting out.'_

'_Well, what I do know is that whoever this boy is, he doesn't exist in the databanks or anything.' _Fulvio mused, as he glanced back at the screen. There, flashing on the second screen to his right, in a black screen, was the DNA analysis. The words "_NO MATCH FOUND"_ was written out in big, bold red letters and to the third screen to his left, a series of numbers and charts were open, all showing the fluctuations of Cloud flames the teen was emitting. '_How Annoying' _Things were not making sense, and definitely going to make sense any time soon.

Sighing, Fulvio stood up from his chair and walked to the water, which was conveniently placed next to the door to the infirmary. He leisurely pour cold water into a plastic cup, not in a rush one bit, slowly lulled into a sense of calm by the 'glug, glug' sound the water cooler made. Fulvio had just taken a sip of water, when the boy started screaming and spasming again, startling the half Austrian and causing him to choke on his water. By the time Fulvio had managed to stop choking, his eyes were watery and the patient had stopped screaming, but was lying there still, with his eyes partially open.

A bit wary, Dr. Fulvio asked, hoping to see if the boy was conscious. "What's your name?" Looking at the boy's face, there was no reaction and just when Fulvio was about to give up, the boy drowsily replied. "…Skull, and who are you?" Dr. Fulvio stared at the boy, the tone of voice bothered him, it was so unfeeling and dead, it made him wonder if the boy was remotely human. "I am Dr. Fulvio Abandonato, under the current employment of the Carcassa Famiglia." He replied smoothly, his voice betraying nothing.

The boy, Skull, simply rolled his eyes towards Fulvio, and for a moment there, the doctor felt his breath catch, like he couldn't breathe. Skull's eyes were red, blood red, not the red of a Storm flame user, but a red of something monstrous, something not human. And then, it was gone and the doctor could breathe again. Just like that, his eyes turned to a violet purple and all traces of those horrifying eyes were gone. He didn't blink or anything, there was no shift in the light or the eyes, it just disappeared. If it weren't for the fact that Dr. Fulvio didn't through anything out the window, he would've felt like it was a figment of his imagination, but Fulvio questioned and kept everything in mind.

The boy didn't deem it necessary to say anything else, and just continued the staring contest with the doctor. All in all, things were looking interesting.

* * *

This story is something I recently thought up. It doesn't follow your normal DN x KHR crossovers, the few that exist. But I thought it would be interesting to write down about a shinigami turned almost human.

I would write more, but I don't want to spoil the other chapters. I would appreciate reviews with honest, but good opinions. I do not appreciate flames. I would also like to hear you ideas and thoughts.


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